Teddy Long, one of wrestling’s most iconic on-screen personalities, held the position of SmackDown General Manager from 2004 to 2012, earning him the distinction of being WWE’s longest-serving authority figure.
Long recently announced his reluctance to take on a full-time role with WWE and expressed his willingness to make occasional appearances instead.
Teddy’s persona resonated deeply with the extensive WWE fanbase, endearing him to many. His television appearances have become infrequent, with his most recent one occurring during the 2023 Draft.
Teddy Long, speaking on Sportskeeda’s The Wrestling Time Machine, “And that’s how I feel too, man. If they call me for something, I’ll go back and do them a favor. That’s fine. But I don’t want no full-time,” said Teddy Long. [7:06 – 7:13]
Teddy Long believes AEW needs WWE quality leadership to solve some of its problems
WWE Hall of Famer Teddy Long contends that had Jack Perry defied management’s directives, WWE would not have merely suspended him but terminated his contract.
Teddy Long, during his appearance on Sportskeeda Wrestling’s Wrestling Time Machine show, stated that WWE’s leadership would’ve solved the Perry-CM Punk issue better than how AEW handled it.
“I can’t really speak on AEW, ’cause I don’t watch it. But here’s what I can say about this — Jack Perry, I don’t know the young man, never met him a day in my life — the only thing I can say about this, if he was in the WWE, I think the leadership there is a lot better,” said the Hall of Famer.
Teddy believes that had Jack Perry been part of WWE and defied management’s orders, he would have faced termination rather than just a suspension.
Teddy Long emphasized that had Jack Perry been given a clear directive by Vince McMahon to refrain from using real glass, the incident in question would likely never have occurred. Disobeying McMahon’s orders, Long asserted, would have led to immediate termination upon Perry’s curtain entrance, without any suspensions or similar measures.
According to Teddy, if Perry were a part of WWE, their leadership would have played a strong role in guiding him and preventing such a mistake. He stressed that when someone in authority instructs you not to do something, the expectation is simple: you comply. In Long’s view, this fundamental principle is reflective of the leadership dynamics within AEW.